When We Were Twenty-one - 1900 - Broadway Articles Page 11

Wheelock Family Theatre opens its 34th season with ALICE, a musical reimagining of Lewis Carroll's classics, ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND and ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS. WFT veteran Andrew Barbato wrote the adaptation and directs the production featuring a garden of flower buds played by children who may one day follow in his footsteps, as well as some perennials on local theater stages who deserve to have more than a few bouquets tossed their way. From seedlings to adolescents to full-grown, the vibrant members of this ensemble are all ready to embark on the journey with Alice, down the rabbit hole and wherever it may lead.

Music has the power to touch the human spirit, transcending time, place, boundaries and language and spurring understanding and connection. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Manfred Honeck are deeply committed to music's ability to promote and spread a spiritual and universal message, and to that end invite the public to two free "Music for the Spirit" concerts on Thursday, November 20 at 7:30 p.m. in Westminster Presbyterian Church in Upper St. Clair and on Saturday, November 22 at 8 p.m. at Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic High School in Cranberry.

Harry Houdini – America's premier Escape Artist, Showman extraordinaire, potentially a template for that most American of literary creations, the Superhero, and, if you believe the premise of the current miniseries on The History Channel, a person psychologically addicted to running away from his own person and reality. HOUDINI, the two-parter that began Monday night and concludes on Tuesday on the History Channel, is based on a psychiatrist's biography of the great performer, which was subtitled “A Mind in Chains.” However, from the show and from its star Adrien Brody's, portrayal, he was less a man in chains than a man on the run.

Actress Danielle Davy gives us a vivid incarnation of John Millington Synge's muse Molly Allgood, in a performance that is by turns hilarious and deeply moving. The play has been given a fine, deftly-directed trajectory thanks to Scena Theatre's Robert McNamara. The brogue is occasionally thick and of course it helps if you're familiar with the leading lights of the modern Irish stage, but Davy carries you through the evening effortlessly with Mollly's determination and her charm.

Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles (SCLA), under the artistic direction of Ben Donenberg, returns to the Japanese Garden at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare Campus for the third consecutive summer, with a Los Angeles-centric summer production of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet -- directed by Royal Shakespeare Company and Royal National Theatre alum Kenn Sabberton -- for seventeen performances only, today, July 8 to 26 (press opening July 13).

Continuing the Jewish Museum's slate of lectures, discussions, and events, July 2014 programs include a performance of Minimalist music in partnership with Bang on a Can, inspired by the exhibition Other Primary Structures; a screening of Sign Painters, a 2012 documentary; and the next event in the popular after-hours series, The Wind Up.

Gregory Maguire was just a kid when The Wizard of Oz film came out, but every year, he and his family would cuddle up in front of their black-and-white television to watch the annual television broadcast of their favorite musical movie. It wasn't until years later that that same enchanted, young boy would grow up to author the untold story of the witches of Oz: Wicked.

This July at Bookworks includes Love your kitchen with Kate Payne, Memories of war with Sarah Stark and more. There are also many events for kids like Story Time - Bed Time Math, Sammy Keyes Book Club and more. For more information visit bkwrks.com/event.

Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles (SCLA), under the artistic direction of Ben Donenberg, returns to the Japanese Garden at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare Campus for the third consecutive summer, with a Los Angeles-centric summer production of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet -- directed by Royal Shakespeare Company and Royal National Theatre alum Kenn Sabberton -- for seventeen performances only, July 8 to 26 (press opening July 13).

The main characters in the new musical version of "A Room with a View" spend their time trying to figure out who they want to become. Unfortunately the show itself also has an identity crisis, as it could never figure out what kind of show it wanted to be. And that, combined with songs that rarely got off the ground and never moved the story along, left the show a muddled mess being sung by some powerhouse talents who deserve better.

The internationally-acclaimed Pacific Chorale in Orange County, CA will be presenting a new work created by American opera composer Jake Heggie, and the versatile librettist Gene Scheer entitled 'THE RADIO HOUR'. The choral opera will be conducted by Pacific Chorale's Artistic Director, John Alexander, and stage-directed by James R. Taulli. The premiere work will be performed by the organization's chamber choir, The John Alexander Singers, accompanied by an 8-member ensemble of musicians who are members of Pacific Symphony. The performance is on Sunday, May 18 at 5:30 p.m. at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa, CA. Scroll down to see an interview with composer Jake Heggie and conductor John Alexander!

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Derek Bermel and Music Director George Manahan, American Composers Orchestra's (ACO) 2014-2015 season strengthens the orchestra's commitment to serve as a catalyst for the creation of new orchestral music, providing unprecedented opportunities for American composers to create new work and for audiences to discover it. Now in its 11th year at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall, Orchestra Underground continues as ACO's subversive and entrepreneurial redefinition of the orchestra as an elastic ensemble, and this year features the rarely performed orchestral music of pioneering composer and performer Meredith Monk, holder of the 2014-2015 Richard and Barbara Debs Composer's Chair at Carnegie Hall (Monk's Sphere, November 21). Orchestra Underground brings cabaret, pop, and jazz traditions into the concert hall in a program featuring Kurt Weill's cabaret cult classic The Seven Deadly Sins sung by Shara Worden (Sin & Songs, February 27). For the first time in several seasons, ACO returns to performing with full symphonic forces outside of Carnegie Hall - the orchestra's April concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center will showcase the New York premiere ofWynton Marsalis' Blues Symphony.

The wording on the gravestone of Kurt Weill comes from the song 'A Bird of Passage' from his musical, 'Lost in the Stars.' It reads: 'This is the life of men on earth: Out of darkness we come at birth. Into a lamplit room, and then-Go forward into dark again.'

Delaware Theatre Company's production of AIN'T MISBEHAVIN', conceived by Richard Maltby, Jr. and Murray Horwitz, opened this past weekend. The production is directed by original Broadway director and co-creator Richard Maltby, Jr. and features his own handpicked cast alongside the original designs from the 1978 Tony Award-winning production. Scroll down for some pictures from the show!

Delaware Theatre Company will close its 35th season with the 35th anniversary of the hit musical AIN'T MISBEHAVIN', conceived by Richard Maltby, Jr. and Murray Horwitz. Delaware Theatre Company's production will be directed by original Broadway director and co-creator Richard Maltby, Jr. and feature his own handpicked cast alongside the original designs from the 1978 Tony Award-winning production.

Ten years ago, author James Vescovi began collecting stories about his unusual grandparents. While they lived in the modern world, their minds remained stuck in a medieval Italian farming culture. The newly published "Eat Now; Talk Later" features 52 hilarious and poignant stories about immigrants in New York who were stumped by telephones, banks, fast food, TV wrestling, and supermarkets. When Tony and Desolina Vescovi arrived in America in 1929, they collided with the 20th century. They'd been born around 1900 in farming communities where little had changed for hundreds of years. It was up to their only child, a son, to serve as their shepherd, and it wasn't easy For example, how to explain that his job was taking him and his family 700 miles away when, in their day, sons stayed put to work the family farm? Or that it wasn't wise to hide $10,000 in the bedroom? Or you needed bring cash to the hospital to pay your bill? Not only is the subject of the book original, but so is the way it is written. Tony and Desolina's life is recounted through stories recalling incidents and ideas that reveal their character. Several of the stories have already appeared in print in publications such as The New York Times, Creative Nonfiction, Newsday, and Ancestry Magazine. 'I could never have written a traditional, birth-to-death memoir of my grandparents,' says Vescovi. 'They were not famous and did nothing that we might deem extraordinary, like invent a successful product or argue before the U.S. Supreme Court. Instead, like most of us, they lived quiet, anonymous lives. Yet, how do we tell others about remarkable family members-through story.' Vescovi's collection-the full title is "Eat Now; Talk Later: 52 True Tales of Family, Feasting, and the American Dream" - began with his father. He traveled around the world as a pharmaceutical executive and he returned home with amazing stories. He was a born storyteller. He also told tales about his childhood with Tony and Desolina in New York, which the author collected. The book also contains a scrapbook of family photos and recipes. According to Vescovi, the book's title comes from his grandmother, who disliked conversation during meals. 'To her, eating was sacred. Conversing while eating tortellini was like talking loudly during mass. You just didn't do it.' Vescovi is quick to point out that while the tales have an Italian flavor, they have a universal quality about them. 'We all have relatives like my grandparents. Part of my goal in writing 'Eat Now; Talk Later' is to encourage people ferret out and collect their own precious family stories.' "Eat Now; Talk Later" is also a book for modern, busy people. Stories can be read before bed, on a lunch hour, or waiting in line. 'They can even be shared with friends who complain they have enough to read,' says the author. To read an excerpt, hear an author interview, buy the book, and see one-of-a-kind photos, visit the author's web site at eatnowtalklater.com

Leave your inhibitions at the door and fasten your seat belt for a musical theater experience that simmers, smolders, and titillates. Bridge Rep gets up close and personal with Michael John LaChiusa's HELLO AGAIN in an immersive, cabaret-style production. Emerson College alum Michael Bello directs an ensemble of six exciting, young actors and actresses.

Delaware Theatre Company will close its 35th season with the 35th anniversary of the hit musical AIN'T MISBEHAVIN', conceived by Richard Maltby, Jr. and Murray Horwitz. Delaware Theatre Company's production will be directed by original Broadway director and co-creator Richard Maltby, Jr. and feature his own handpicked cast alongside the original designs from the 1978 Tony Award-winning production.

It seems that since the dawn of the new millennium, there has been an incredible surge in the appearance of new 'jukebox musicals.' This genre is comprised of shows made up of previously recorded and released songs, usually by a single band or artist, or connected to a specific theme. While there were a few of these in the late 1900's, the genre took off once the clock turned to 2000. Now, theaters are filled with them, showcasing the music of anyone from Billy Joel to Queen to Janis Joplin and Bob Dylan. After seeing the touring production of the jukebox musical Rock of Ages at Providence Performing Arts Center, it's hard to imagine that anything in the genre is as exciting, fun and perfectly pieced together as this spectacular musical combination of the glam-band hits of the late 1980s.

Winterdances...Past Moving Forward is set for UWM Peck School of the Arts, today, January 23-26, 2014, running at 7:30pm Thurs-Sat; 2pm Sun in the Mainstage Theater, 2400 E. Kenwood Blvd.

Winterdances...Past Moving Forward is set for UWM Peck School of the Arts, January 23-26, 2014, running at 7:30pm Thurs-Sat; 2pm Sun in the Mainstage Theater, 2400 E. Kenwood Blvd.

Any Charles Dickens' tale basically has the same theme, working through adversity to get to hope. But even with that simplistic theme his characters are extremely nuanced and complex. And any production of a Dickensian play needs those nuances lest the show just turn into melodrama. Unfortunately the current production of "Oliver!" at the 5th Avenue Theatre is lacking in that nuance as well as much spark so that it mostly comes across as going through the motions.

Today, October 15, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) will debut on Blu-ray The Untold History of the United States, a ten-part Showtime Original Series from three-time Academy Award-winning writer and director Oliver Stone.

Take two world renowned playwrights, mix in a theatre that is not afraid of a challenge, and you get the next offering in Cygnet Theatre's 11th season. By producing two great theatre classics in rotating repertory, Cygnet is once again raising the bar for San Diego theaters. The monumental task of directing both The Importance of Being Earnest and Travesties will be handled by Artistic Director Sean Murray. Performances will be at the Old Town Theatre, tonight, September 18 - October 27. Opening Day for media is September 28.

Noted cabaret singer Isabel Rose is ready to begin the process of delivering her new album, TROUBLE IN PARADISE, to the world. The album features her take on classic songs such as "Got a Lot of Livin' To Do," "Trouble In Paradise," and "Love Will Keep Us Together." For the album she worked with acclaimed music producer Bob Rock, who is best known for producing such acts as Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, Metallica, Bryan Adams, and Michael Buble. To promote the new album, Isabel Rose will be performing in Los Angeles at The Mint on September 26, 2013 and in New York City at The Cutting Room on October 16, 2013. Before she kicks off this venture, she took a few moments out of her busy schedule to chat with me about her career, the new album, and the upcoming concerts.